Business as Usual
by A.D. Fields
Summary: Lelouch Lamperouge, head of LEI, is perfectly fine doing what he does on a daily basis. However, his family isn't pleased with it, so what do they do? They hire him a personal assistant of course! Where it goes from there, is anyone's guess. LelouchxCornelia, and they are in no way related.
1. Office Days

**A/N: **Well, I've got another one here.

This is an AU where Lelouch is the CEO of his own electronics company...and I'll figure out more from there.

To all those who read "Into the Fray" I will still be updating that weekly, it's just that chapters flow so fast from my fingers due to all my spare time, I needed a side project to keep myself on the up and up.

Also, this will be a romance story between Cornelia and Lelouch. They are not, repeat, **_NOT_**related in anyway whatsoever, so incest is not a thing.

And, American geography isn't my best subject, considering I live in CANADA, so don't harp if I get a few geographic things wrong, I've only been to NYC once in my life.

But, I hope you enjoy, and if you don't, oh well, I tried.

Remember to read and review.

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><p>A man stood in his office, on the top floor of a thirty story building.<p>

A sigh escaped his tired mouth as he looked onto the darkened city below.

For the city that never sleeps, it seemed to get awful quiet in the business district after 7pm.

Another sigh was let out as the office chair squeaked as the man sat down.

Lelouch Lamperouge, CEO of Lamperouge Electronics Incorporated or LEI as it was commonly called, rubbed his amethyst eyes.

Work just never seemed to stop piling up in his office.

There was always something that needed to be signed, some technician that needed to be given the green light in a plant across the country to start doing something.

Why couldn't the regional offices handle those requests? Why did it need to travel through the VP all the way up to the CEO?

Those questions and more, were flowing through his mind as he pulled his pen out and continued to sign his name.

Page after page of Lelouch Lamperouge went past his vision during the daylight hours, and now he was stuck doing these duties in the evening as well, when he should be at home, watching The Big Bang Theory with his brother and sister.

He had sent the VP, and his brother, Rolo home at the normal time to at least let him enjoy the evening while he finished with the reports.

Even though he was only 22 years of age, he had risen to his position not by choice, but rather, by unfortunate events.

His mother and father, Charles and Marianne Lamperouge had been killed in a tragic car accident when he was only 19, forcing him to either rise to lead the company, or sell the company to his competitors, Britannia Corp.

That company was headed by Schneizel Britannia, one of the most ruthless businessmen in the country.

_"What kind of person names their kid Schneizel? His parents must have hated him"_ Lelouch thought, letting a chuckle escape his lips.

But anyways, it was either let the company be handled by the family, or sell out.

Of course, Lelouch decided to run the company, and not allow his sister to really have any part other than attending some social functions with them.

Don't get him wrong, Lelouch loved his sister, but when he took over the company, he realized how naive she could be.

If he had let Nunnally lead the company, they would've been down the tubes in a year.

Of course, life was lonely at the top.

Friends were few and far between and he had no love life to speak of, so it could get a little empty. All he really had was his family and a few work related contacts, like his secretary Cecile Croomy and head designer Lloyd Asplund.

Buuuuut, both of them were nuts in their own ways, although they did amazing work for the company, so that was all that really mattered.

Lelouch looked over the large map of the United States that was on his wall. Every blue pin signified a production plant, red signified research and development, and yellow signified regional offices, whereas a grey one signified the HQ building in New York that he worked out of.

There were twenty five production plants spread through the country, sixteen regional offices, and five R&D offices, and of course only one HQ.

His mind wandered off after his sixtieth form, to a conversation that happened earlier in the week.

* * *

><p>Both Rolo and Cecile think that Lelouch is overworking himself, getting to the office at nine, and staying well past closing, so both of them were trying to get him to see the merits of having a personal assistant to help.<p>

Lelouch, of course, vehemently opposed the idea, stating that everything was fine and that he could handle the workload that he had, without the help of anyone else.

However, that didn't stop them from putting ads in the newspaper and on job websites. Supposedly, they had several promising candidates and would choose out of those who would get the job.

Lelouch didn't even get to make the final choice about who was hired into the company, because Rolo was handling all that.

He signed the last few documents and looked at his watch, which read 9pm.

"Well, I managed to miss dinner. Again. And my evening television" he muttered, picking up his jacket and briefcase before leaving his office and locking the door.

Going down floor after floor in the elevator to the garage, he decided he would at least put some music in the elevators to get rid of the silence.

Finally, with a ding, the doors opened into the large underground garage, where there was only one car.

A black BMW stood dutifully five spots away from the elevator.

_"One of the perks of being a CEO"_ Lelouch thought as he thumbed the unlock button on the key fob.

The lights flashed as the automatic locks opened and Lelouch slid into the driver's seat, depositing his stuff on the passenger seat, and closed the door.

Starting the engine, he let it warm up for a moment before backing out of his spot.

The automatic exit garage door rolled open and he drove out of the underground complex to his house in Hollis Hills.

* * *

><p>Arriving home after a heavy day at work was something Lelouch loved.<p>

Walking in the front door with a loosened tie, taking off his shoes, and leaving everything related to work by the front door always seemed to take a load off.

He left his keys in a bowl beside the door of the silent house as he crept towards the kitchen to find something to eat.

Silently opening the fridge, he found a plate of steak and potatoes wrapped up as leftovers.

_"Jackpot"_ he thought, grabbing the plate and spinning around.

All of the sudden, the kitchen became very bright, and standing in the doorway was an annoyed Rolo Lamperouge.

"Big brother, where have you been?"

"At...work?" Lelouch said, hiking an eyebrow.

Rolo sighed and shook his head "This is why we're getting you a personal assistant. Nunnally misses you a lot because you're always working now."

"I am not getting a personal assistant and that's final" Lelouch said, popping open the microwave and starting to reheat the food.

"Well that's too bad because Ms. Cecile and I already found the perfect person. They've been hired on, and will meet you in your office at 10am tomorrow" Rolo said, getting a drink of water from the fridge.

"Where will we put this assistant of mine? All the offices are full" Lelouch said with a smirk.

"Lelouch, you've forgotten what a large office you've got" Rolo said, with a sly smile.

Lelouch's expression slowly dropped into a pronounced frown as the microwave beeped, signaling the food was finished.

"I've already arranged for a desk, chair, computer, and two filing cabinets to be moved in the office tomorrow morning at around 6am when maintenance personnel get in, so like it or not, you've got an assistant" Rolo said, putting the glass in the sink "Goodnight big brother."

"Goodnight Rolo" Lelouch muttered, getting out some cutlery and putting his dinner on the table.

* * *

><p>Lelouch woke up at 7:30am, as usual, but uncharacteristically grumpy due to someone coming into his office to work with him.<p>

Taking a nice, long shower, he got out and dried himself off once finished.

He put on a charcoal grey three piece suit with a white shirt and blue tie, then went downstairs to eat something for breakfast.

Nunnally was seated at the table, having a cup of tea, before she went to university. "Good morning big brother" she chirped cheerily.

Lelouch forced a smile onto his face as he walked in and said "Good morning Nunnally."

Getting a mug and pouring a cup of coffee, he slid two pieces of bread into the toaster and pushed them down.

When they popped, he pulled them out and spread some butter on each piece.

Sitting down at the table, he ate his breakfast while listening intently to what Nunnally was talking about today.

Something or other about the femoral artery, mostly because she was in university to get an education and become a doctor to help people and make the world a gentler place.

Glancing at his watch, Lelouch kissed her forehead and went to the door, grabbing his long coat and shrugging it on, due to the fact that it was late autumn and they were expecting snow to start falling any day now. He also grabbed his car keys and briefcase before going out the door and going to work.

Rolo had gone in for 8:30 today, and Lelouch didn't even know why, not that it really mattered to him, as long as his employees were there for 9am, he could really care less.

Getting into the city, traffic was always a nightmare, but Lelouch knew how to negotiate it and in no time at all was going down the ramp leading to the parking garage.

Locking his doors and hitting the button for the elevator, he got inside, alone, and started the ascent to the thirtieth floor.

A moment later, the doors opened into the large reception room that he was used to and he walked through.

"Good morning Mr. Lamperouge" Cecile said from behind her desk when he walked past.

"Come on Cecile" Lelouch said with a small smile "Call me Lelouch, I don't know how many times I need to tell you that."

"I'll never do it boss" she replied with a small smile.

God, the woman was so sweet and nice, Lelouch didn't think there was anything bad about her.

Except her cooking. God her cooking was terrible. The last time he had eaten something she made, he was sent to the hospital to get his stomach pumped.

Lelouch unlocked the door to his office and walked inside, closing it and hanging his coat on the coat rack to the left side, and making his way to the desk that stood in the center, facing away from the windows.

He took careful note of the desk that was roughly ten feet to the left of his own, all neat and tidy, ready to go to work.

Lelouch let a small scowl grace his features, before changing his face back into an impassive mask.

Sitting down at his desk, he opened the file on top labeled 'Code R.'

Code R was their newest, most secret project. Basically, it was a computer with unprecedented power that was cheap to manufacture due to using a common element as the basis for all the parts.

They were ramping up production at all facilities and were getting ready to announce the system which could stand up to nearly anything, and still come out on top.

He had countless contractors fumbling over each other to get better and better ones once the system, known as 'Geass' was complete.

Lelouch's eyes scanned the page, most plants were up to 78% of production orders filled, and were pushing for the last bit.

All in all, the reports stated that they would be able to unveil the system in a week's time.

Closing the project file, he went to the next report, and the next, and so on.

This same pattern repeated itself until there was a knock at his door.

"Enter" he called, and his blue haired secretary poked her head inside.

"Sir, your new assistant is here with the Vice President. Shall I send them in?"

Lelouch sighed and closed the folder, placing it on his desk and standing up.

He clasped his hands behind his back and walked over to the window, gazing out of it as if searching for something or someone.

"Very well, send them in" was all he said.

The door quietly clicked shut, but was abruptly pushed open with a joyful exclamation of "Big brother!"

The door was closed once again, leaving Rolo, Lelouch and his new assistant in silence.

A stern voice from Rolo cut through the air. "Lelouch, turn around and greet your assistant."

Even though Rolo was two years younger than Lelouch, he possessed the same ability to make anyone tremble with the might of his voice.

Lelouch abruptly turned on his heel and looked at the pair.

"Good day Mister Lamperouge, I am your personal assistant Cornelia Waters."

The only thing running through Lelouch's mind was _"how did I manage to get into this situation?"_


	2. The New Assistant

**A/N:** Well, I got bored, and needed a break from working on Into the Fray, so I decided to do a little work on this story.

Just so you know, I know absolutely nothing about big corporations, so I'm just running off of my (cue spongebob) IMAGINATION.

Also, Liberty Street is a real street in NYC, and Panera Bread is a real restaurant, and their food is AMAZING!

Anyways, onto some quick responses.

SharpRevan: No. Never related to Schneizel. Never ever! Unless it's the anime.

misterfn: Me either! They're just awesome! And I'm thinking about writing another LelouchxCornelia one shot in the near future.

InsanePurpleLove: Thanks! And who knows, Cornelia could be a spy! PLOT TWIST! Just kidding...for now.

So..yeah...enjoy...

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><p>The only thing running through Lelouch's mind was <em>"how did I manage to get into this situation?"<em>

That one question was constantly looping through his mind, behind the impassive mask on his face as he looked at his assistant.

The woman, Cornelia, he recalled, looked to be around his age, a stern face, but it showed that it could be gentle at a moment's notice.

Rolo walked over to him, handing him yet another file, but thankfully this one was thin, and would constitute her work history, resume, and whatnot, before he left the pair.

"Please, sit down Ms. Waters" Lelouch said, walking around his desk and gesturing to the seats in front of it.

"Thank you Mr. Lamperouge" she replied, calmly walking over to one of the chairs and sitting down.

"As you may have noticed with my brother, and my secretary, we aren't big on formalities here, so just call me Lelouch" he said, opening the file.

He was skimming over the pages when he heard "Very well Lelouch, then you may refer to me as Cornelia."

He nodded absentmindedly as he continued through the records.

"You have a business degree from Harvard. Why work as a personal assistant?" Lelouch asked, pulling out a photocopy of the diploma.

"I've always enjoyed working with big companies, and I'd rather not be the head of one, but I'd prefer to help the CEO with whatever needs done then" she said, before thinking for a second "Kind of like a training program in case I ever want to start a company."

"Interesting" Lelouch said, putting the document back and pulling out another. "It says here that you worked for Britannia Corp. Why did you quit?"

"Their CEO is a pompous fool and a womanizer. He wouldn't keep his hands off me and I threatened to have him up on harassment charges. I quit after that" she said.

Much to her surprise, Lelouch started laughing.

"I couldn't agree more, but Schneizel is one of the most ruthless and cunning businessmen in this country. But so am I" he said. "Anyways, you needn't worry about harassment around me. I'm all business."

"Good to hear" she replied with indifference.

Lelouch frowned at this. He needed this woman to at least be nice to work with. Even though he liked silence, he didn't want to talk to a pile of lumber when push came to shove.

"The headquarters for Britannia Corp is located in Charleston. Surely you didn't come all the way to New York just to work for me" Lelouch said.

"No" she replied "New York is a major hub for business everywhere, so it just seemed fit that I should come to this city to find employment. Stumbling upon your add was by mere coincidence."

"Interesting" Lelouch said "However, the add wasn't from me, it was from my brother and my secretary."

"I don't follow sir" she said.

Lelouch sighed and walked over to the large windows staring outside.

"My brother, Rolo, and my secretary Cecile are worried for me. They say I'm overworking myself and I'm not spending enough time at home with my sister Nunnally."

"Lelouch, what time do you start work?" she asked.

"Nine in the morning" he replied.

"And what time do you leave?" she asked.

"Usually around nine at night" he said quietly.

"Well then, I guess it's a good thing you've found me" she said, smiling a little.

Lelouch nodded and sat down in the large chair that stood behind his desk.

Crossing one leg over the other and lacing his fingers together, he said "Tell me a little about yourself Cornelia."

"But you can see my work history right there" she stated. "What else do you need to know?"

Lelouch felt a sweat drop roll down the side of his head at this statement.

"How about some stuff about you. Not work related" Lelouch said "Hobbies, favorite activities, television shows, etc. I prefer to know that the people I hire aren't robots and that they actually know how to relax."

Her brow furrowed in confusion. Lelouch knew that this wasn't a common interview question, so he put her on the spot and decided to see how she reacted.

"Well, I enjoy to read, I like cooking, and watching movies. One of my favorite shows is The Big Bang Theory" she said after a moment of thought.

"Family?" he asked.

"Sister...and parents, but they live out in San Francisco" she replied.

"Good to know" Lelouch said "Thank you for sharing that with me."

"Not a problem sir" Cornelia said.

Lelouch stood and held out his hand "Welcome to Lamperouge Electronics Incorporated."

Cornelia stood and shook his hand, then asked "Where's my office?"

Lelouch chuckled "Your standing in it. Your desk is right there" he said pointing the left.

"Oh" was all she said, stepping away from the chair and walking ten feet to her new desk.

Lelouch continued laughing as she sat down, and as he sat down to continue filtering through the daily reports.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, Lelouch was wearing a deep frown.<p>

He walked to the door of his office and opened it, stepping out into the foyer.

"Cecile, could you put me through to our production plant in Nashville please?"

"After lunch sir" she simply said. "Even the top dogs need to eat, and you're no exception."

Lelouch rolled his eyes. "Very well Cecile."

He started to walk towards his door again, when she called after him "Take your new assistant with you! Show her around the city!"

"Cecile, I thought I was the boss here?" Lelouch said, his tone lighthearted.

"Eh, maybe in pay, but we all know I keep you in check" she retorted, smiling.

Lelouch laughed and went back through the door to his office, plucking his coat off the coat rack and draping it over his arm.

He walked over and stood in front of Cornelia's desk, where she had been all morning typing away.

Her fingers stilled on the keyboard and she looked up.

"Yes sir?"

"Come on" Lelouch said "Save your work. We're breaking for lunch."

"But sir-" she started, before she was cut off by a raised hand and a calm voice.

"Come now Ms. Waters, I can't have you passing out while doing a report" Lelouch said, stepping away from her desk "Besides, I was going to show you around the area a little bit after lunch."

His tone left no room for argument, as she finally nodded and saved the report she was working on.

She pushed her chair out from the desk and got up, taking her coat off the back of it and putting it on.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, they were standing in the elevator going down to the lobby.<p>

Lelouch noted with satisfaction that there was music playing this time around, as per his orders.

The doors slid open after a ding, and they walked out into the lobby.

"Hang on, I need to tell my security chief that I'm going out" Lelouch said, stopping at a desk by the front doors.

A man in a black suit with turquoise hair looked up.

"Going to lunch sir?"

"Yes Jeremiah, I'll be out of the building for an hour and a half. Have Rolo take care of anything that needs to be done" Lelouch said.

Jeremiah nodded and smiled "You got it sir."

Lelouch rapped his knuckles on the desk and walked back to Cornelia, who was still waiting dutifully by the doors for him to return.

They walked outside and were buffeted by a strong wind, whipping a few flakes of snow around.

"I knew they were calling for snow, but I didn't think that would be today" Lelouch grumbled as he pulled his coat on and did up the buttons.

"Well, it's December. Isn't that about the time snow starts to fall here?" Cornelia asked, as they started walking down Liberty Street.

"Yeah" Lelouch said "But that doesn't mean it needs to start today!"

Cornelia couldn't help but chuckle at her new boss. He always, from what she had seen, acted very dramatic no matter what was going on.

They turned a corner and continued walking, just talking about whatever came to mind, and whenever the topic drifted too close to a danger zone, such as parents or relationships, it was always changed.

Even though they attempted to stay away from relationships, both of them soon realized that they were in fact, single.

Another few minutes, and they were stepping into a busy shop called 'Panera Bread.'

"This is probably the best sandwich shop of all time anywhere" Lelouch said, shrugging off his coat and draping it on his arm.

"I'll hold you to that" she said, as they got in line.

* * *

><p>Not even five minutes later, they were seated at a table with a buzzer to allow the waiter to know what table their food was going to.<p>

By now, Lelouch could actually look at her as a woman rather than a worker.

In the morning, he was occupied with her credentials and how well she worked, and he would be occupied with that for the next few weeks until Christmas at least, but...he was a man, and men wanted to take a look at most women around.

Cornelia had her purple hair tied back in some sort of braid he couldn't identify (Think R2 here) with some hair still framing her face.

She was wearing a red blouse with a black pencil skirt, with black boots to complete the outfit.

Unbeknownst to Lelouch, Cornelia was doing the exact same thing.

_"He certainly dresses and acts better than anyone I've met in a workplace...and he is kinda a cutie...wait...what?"_

Their food arriving broke them both out of the trance that neither knew they were in, and they started to eat.

* * *

><p>"Okay I will admit" Cornelia said, wiping her mouth on the napkin provided "That was probably the best sandwich I've ever had Lelouch."<p>

He had to smile a little, which got him one in return.

"I told you it would be, but nooooo. Somebody didn't believe me" he said, his tone full of humor.

"Well excuuuuse me for not trusting a strange man to take me to a good restaurant" she replied teasingly.

"I'm not strange" Lelouch said, cocking his head to the side before grinning "I'm your boss."

Sharing a laugh, Lelouch paid for the bill, with much protest from Cornelia, but they left out into the freezing city.

* * *

><p>"I still think you should've let me pay for half" Cornelia said, putting her hands in her coat pockets.<p>

"And I already told you, a gentleman doesn't take a lady out to lunch and make her pay for her food" he said "Common chivalry is still around."

"I didn't say it was dead, now, did I?" she replied.

"No you didn't, but you're still going on about this" Lelouch grumbled.

"Fine then" she said, turning away.

"Good. We can continue with the tour then" Lelouch said, as they continued to walk around the area.

* * *

><p>The pair stood in the elevator in silence. Lelouch had always sucked at gauging the reactions of women, except Cecile, who always seemed to be happy, so he couldn't tell how Cornelia was feeling towards him.<p>

Not like he really cared though...because he was a man...and men couldn't be brought down by things like that...could they?

The doors opened and they walked out, Lelouch at a more relaxed pace, and he stopped beside Cecile's desk as his own office door opened and closed.

"I take it she enjoyed lunch then" Cecile said with happiness in her voice.

Lelouch hiked an eyebrow at this statement. "You're kidding, right? She hasn't talked to me since halfway through the tour. How would you know?"

"Lelouch, I'm a woman" Cecile said "I can recognize emotions through the masks that other women wear. But she's not mad at you...maybe embarrassed. Sir, what did you do?"

"Well, we went to lunch, I paid, and then we walked around" Lelouch said, fidgeting with his hands.

"Hmm...maybe because you paid for lunch, she's a little embarrassed" Cecile said after a moment of thought.

"That couldn't be it...or could it?" Lelouch replied, taking his chin in his hand.

"Dunno" was all she said, before stating "The head of the Nashville Production Plant, Kewell I think his name is, is on line three."

"You're a angel Cecile" Lelouch said with a smile as he started to walk towards his office.

"Thanks boss, I try" was the response.

"You don't need to" Lelouch replied, opening and closing the door quickly.

He hung his long coat up and strode over to his desk, sliding into the leather chair that sat behind it.

As he picked up the phone, a voice inside his office gave him pause.

"Thanks for lunch Lelouch."

A small smile came onto his face "You're welcome Cornelia" and with that, he punched the button for line three and began taking to his Plant Manager in Nashville.


End file.
